


Permanent

by thinkingaboutelephants



Category: Inception (2010)
Genre: Domestic, Dreamhusbands, M/M, Tattoos
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-11
Updated: 2015-02-11
Packaged: 2018-03-11 17:27:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,238
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3331946
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thinkingaboutelephants/pseuds/thinkingaboutelephants
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Eames goes on a job, Arthur pines, and something about tattoos.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Permanent

**Author's Note:**

  * For [12AM](https://archiveofourown.org/users/12AM/gifts).



> Here's my contribution to the Arthur/Eames Gift Exchange. This is the first time I've ever done anything like this, and I had a lot of fun! I hope my giftee likes what I've written for her as well as the banner I made last minute! There was a little switch up there at the end, but I changed a few things to better fit what she wanted. Please enjoooy! <3

[ ](http://imgur.com/9Sej4Am)

It really should not be affecting Arthur the way that it was. That Eames was going away on a job for the first time since they got married. But it was, to Arthur's absolute horror. He had surprised himself by asking Eames if it was too soon, not exactly telling him that he wasn't quite ready for their honeymoon period to be over. But Eames knew what he wasn't saying. A couple of days before Arthur dropped him off at the airport, he had pulled him close, placed a few kisses along his jaw, and then told him sweetly, "Arthur, darling. Didn't we say that married life wouldn't change us?”

Arthur remembered that conversation, the one they'd had before either of them agreed to that final commitment. They were far too individualistic to let their marriage keep them at home, safely under each other's wings at all times. No, they would always need their space and freedom to be themselves outside of the other. At least, that was their mutual arrangement several months ago before they held a small wedding for their family and closest friends and signed a marriage license with their real, birth names. Now, Arthur was angry with himself for thinking maybe that was not such a grand idea.

Still, he couldn't keep Eames from taking the job. He would not be that type of partner.

That's why on the morning of his departure, Arthur put on a happy face for his husband's sake. He wouldn't send him away believing that Arthur was upset with him. To be frank, Arthur was more upset with himself and the clingy emotions he had no control over.

Per usual, Arthur woke up first, even before Eames' alarm went off.

Even after he freshened up and the delicious smell of French toast had spread throughout the house, there were still no sounds coming from upstairs. Deciding that his voice was a much better wakeup call than the annoying chime of a cellphone, Arthur made his way back to their bedroom to find that Eames had rolled over onto his side of the bed, the sheets twisted around his hips to expose the span of his naked back.

Arthur went over to him and ran a hand through his sleep tousled hair.

"Good morning, Eames," he called, "Hey. Wake up."

A muffled grunt was his response after a few moments.

"-time is it?" Eames asked, coming to his senses slowly.

Arthur grabbed his phone from his nightstand and read the time aloud.

"I've got seven more minutes then."

"You could sleep for seven more minutes or you can have breakfast with me before you leave," he offered, trailing his fingers across the large tribal tattoo on Eames' shoulder.

"Breakfast?"

"Mm-hm." Arthur kneaded at the muscles below Eames' neck.

Eames arched back into the soothing pressure and thought for a moment, considering. "Give me four more minutes."

Picking his battles, Arthur resisted the urge to roll his eyes and sat there quietly. After a minute of watching Eames sleep, not caring if the man thought it was strange, his eyes moved to his bed side table. Resting where he had left them the night before was his leather moleskin and the ball point pen that was sticking out of it. He had left it there after jotting down some last minute notes and ideas for Eames to take with him. Even when he wasn't working, Arthur was the best point man and just because he was not going to be there, didn't mean he was unable help the forger. 

Thinking about being away from him for three weeks, granted the job went well, made Arthur's face slip just a little. He never expected to be the type of spouse to be left at home, moping when the other went away. Hell, he hadn't expected to be anyone's spouse at all. And sure, he could have a job lined up before Eames got out of bed if he wanted, but he didn't. He had grown comfortable in the home he and Eames were sharing, making memories with him. Maybe too comfortable. He really would miss Eames. After a more than a decade of competition, teasing, friendship, love, and now marriage, Arthur was kind of attached to the man. It just hadn't hit him how much now.

His eyes traveled back to the inked markings covering Eames' body, taking in the lines and swirls and the details that were forever engraved on his skin, permanent symbols of his life, his loss, and his love. Arthur smiled at one of his favorites, four aces fanned out across a shoulder blade with poker chips and a pair of dice under them. Then he ran his finger over one of the more recent additions, something Eames had gotten on their last job together, a detailed image of a wolf a little further down on the side of his back. Eames had forged the wild beast; it had been a weird dream for Arthur, but Eames had unadulterated fun with it. The tattoo was done in blacks and grays, no color, but it was an exact replica of the wolf Arthur had seen in their dream. It was Eames' forge and his design; it was perfect.

The ballpoint inside of his moleskin suddenly struck Arthur with an idea.

He wasn't entirely sure what possessed him to do it. If anyone in their relationship was a romantic, it was most definitely not him. Well, not outwardly at least, if he admitted it to himself. His vows had made Eames cry, big, fat man tears. 

Silently, he retrieved the pen, uncapped it, and decided on a spot at the top of Eames' left shoulder blade which had yet to be pierced by ink.

Eames didn't react to the first press of the ballpoint against his skin. There was no way he was already asleep. He may have been humoring him, not awake enough to stop him, or simply curious, but he let Arthur be.

Arthur drew whatever came to him first. He was, what Eames had always teased, “unimaginative” when it came to art. He was a point man for a reason. Still, as it flowed from his hand and his pen, the image emerging on skin was precise and simple. For a spontaneous sketch, it was quite beautiful if Arthur said so himself.

"What are you doing?"

The question nearly surprised him, but his hand remained steady.

"Giving you your four minutes," he answered, retracing a couple of thin lines here and there.

Eames remained quiet and content for a few more moments before he started to become restless and aware that other parts of his body were also awake at that point.

"Are you done?"

Arthur took his time to add two meaningful letters just outside the bottom of the design, finishing it off, before he leaned down a placed a kiss under his work.

"Yes," he told Eames. "I'm done."

"Good," Eames turned over without warning then, grinning, and grabbed at his husband, "Because I have better plans for the next few minutes."

Arthur laughed even as he allowed himself to be pulled back into bed.

******

Not to be dramatic but the weeks did feel like months for Arthur while Eames was away. He had tried to distract himself but none of his attempts had really worked. He'd spent more time at the gym, took out all of his suits, ties, and button-ups and ironed those that needed it, picked up a few cooking books from the book store, and even tried his hand at painting with one of the blank canvases Eames kept in his studio. But there was always that nagging thought not far in his mind of how much he wanted Eames to be there with him doing all of those things.

At about half way through Eames' job, Ariadne called Arthur on Skype. It was a regular thing since the third or fourth time they worked together, and Arthur was glad to hear from his friend. The conversation was pretty one sided, however, Ariadne telling Arthur about the class she was teaching that fall semester and how she wasn't hopeful that even a third of her students would pass. Then she seemed to realize that her friend was barely paying attention to her rant. There was a distant and longing look in his eyes which were dark underneath, and the man looked completely lost on the empty bed he was sitting crossed-leg on.

"Oh my god. You're pining, aren't you?" 

Arthur snapped out of the daze he wasn't conscious of and looked up to see the young architect grinning at him from his Mac. Ever since they had confirmed their relationship a couple of jobs after Inception, Ariadne was a dear friend who protected their secret; however, she also used her knowing to aggravate the hell out of Arthur when he showed any signs of emotion that were just outside of “under control.” She still baited him about their emotional nuptials on occasion.

"You are!" she said loudly and then started to laugh.

Arthur nearly exited out of the window but decided it against it. He wouldn't give Ariadne the satisfaction.

"Sometimes I question the strength of our friendship," he said instead.

"No, you don't," Ariadne retorted, incredibly sure. "You love me. And you love your husband, but you're there and he's not. That's a problem for you, isn't it, Mr. Eames?"

Arthur sighed. "You know that we didn't take each other's name."

Her face said “So?” where her mouth didn't.

Arthur tried to steer the conversation away from him then, and he asked Ariadne if she was planning on taking a job anytime soon. That wasn't a smart move, because the conversation quickly shifted back to him when the woman returned the question.

"I- um," he started. "I'm not sure."

"What do you mean?" she asked, her eyes darting across her computer screen as though searching for something.

"I just mean that I'm not sure," he said more sharply than he meant to.

Ariadne didn't seem to be offended though and she remained quiet, typing at her laptop.

"Hey, Arthur. Listen," she said, breaking the silence the point man hadn't been bothered to fill. "I dedicate this to you."

With a raised brow, Arthur waited, both confused and interested.

Then a slow piano based melody starting flowing from Ariadne's computer to his. He listened as a man began to sing.

_When I was young_  
 _I never needed anyone_  
 _And making love was just for fun_  
 _Those days are gone_

__"What is this?"_ _

__"Give it a sec," Ariadne said, covering her mouth with her hand, her shoulder's shaking. "You'll know it."_ _

__When the chorus finally played, Arthur did know it. And he didn't find it amusing._ _

__"Goodbye, Ariadne."_ _

__The woman was laughing full out, but then stopped as she realized that Arthur was ending their conversation._ _

__"Arthur, no. Wait. I'm sor-"_ _

__

__After that interaction had failed to make him feel better, he waited a few days and then drove the couple of hours it took to get to the Cobb's home to occupy himself with Dom and the kids' welcome company. With the help of Phillipa, he had put to use some of the skills he had learned from his cook books and let James lick the spoon from the batter they had mixed for a chocolate cake. He was almost completely at ease, but the trained extractor saw right through him._ _

__"You really miss him, don't you?" Dom asked out of nowhere once they'd finished their delicious desert, and the kids were outside burning off the sugar._ _

__"Christ," Arthur snapped. "First Ariadne, now you. Can we not do this?"_ _

__Dom appeared hesitant and as though he wanted to back off, but he didn't._ _

__"I'm just worried about you," he said gently. "This isn't like you, Arthur."_ _

__"I'm fine, Dom."_ _

__Arthur ran his hand through his loose hair in frustration, betraying his words._ _

__"Are you really?"_ _

__He could have explained to him that he didn't know, that he felt like he was crawling out of his skin in Eames' absence. Like he couldn't go to sleep every night without a call or text letting him know that the job was still going smoothly. Like he was missing a limb. He could tell him that, but Arthur was sure that Dom already knew. That was what being in love felt like._ _

__He didn't have to reply though, as James came dashing back into the kitchen and begged Arthur to play Hide-and-Go-Seek with them. Arthur wouldn't dare dream of turning him down._ _

__*****_ _

__When Eames returned home, kicking his shoes off at the door and leaving his suitcase beside them, he appeared the same as he had left three weeks earlier. A huge part of Arthur wanted to jump him right then and there, show him just how much he had been missed and plead that he never leave his side again. But Arthur didn't do that. Instead, he reigned himself in and approached the grinning Brit._ _

__"Hello, darling."_ _

__"Eames."_ _

__Arthur took in the sight of the man he had craved so much, and he let himself be pulled in when he got close enough to Eames, who had apparently missed Arthur just as much if his bone-crushing hug was anything to go by._ _

__"I missed you terribly."_ _

__There it was. Breathed into the skin of Arthur's neck. So sincere and needed that Arthur felt it fill his body with what had been gone for weeks. He pulled back from the embrace after some time, only to get at Eames' mouth. He tasted of sleep and cheap booze from the plane ride, but Arthur wouldn't change a thing about it. Eames was there in his arms and under his lips, and he couldn't be happier._ _

__When they separated enough to get some air, Eames trailed a finger over Arthur's eyebrow, pushing some stray bangs back into place._ _

__"How are you, love?"_ _

__Arthur placed a kiss over the palm of Eames' hand when he moved it to cup Arthur's cheek._ _

__"I'm good now," he said. "How did the job pan out?"_ _

__"Payoff should be in my account in a day or two," Eames told him. "Our point was as incompetent as they come. Thanks for your notes, by the way. They saved us more times that I can count. It's a wonder I made it home in an orderly fashion. Didn't want you to have to come to my rescue on my first time out."_ _

__A flash of anger mixed with concern shot through Arthur. If the job was going south and Arthur could have done something to help, Eames should have told him._ _

__"I would have if you needed me. Anyway, you said that job was going fine?"_ _

__"Didn't want you to worry, love," Eames said, seeing the annoyance of being left in the dark in Arthur's eyes. He kissed him twice, two soft and sweet apologies. "Listen, I smell like a foot, so I'm going to hop in the shower really quickly and then I'm all yours, alright?"_ _

__Arthur watched him for a few more seconds, noticing how tired he looked, and then decided to let it go._ _

__"Are you hungry?" he asked as Eames walked away to their master bedroom._ _

__"I can eat if you're offering," Eames answered with a smile before disappearing from his sight._ _

__

__Following another simple recipe from his book, Arthur left the creamy pasta simmering on the stove and went to the bathroom where the shower was still on. ____

Eames' silhouette was visible through the steam on the glass door and he was softly humming a tone Arthur didn't recognize.

__Arthur leaned against the sink and watched for little while, knowing Eames was aware of his presence, before he built up the nerve to speak._ _

__"I know the agreement we made," he started, loud enough for Eames to hear over the sound of running water. "But I was thinking maybe we don't take any jobs without each other from now on."_ _

__"What?" Eames asked, sliding the door back quickly and sticking his head through the opening. Soap was still covering his head and threatened to fall down into his eyes. Arthur smiled at the ridiculous man._ _

__"Maybe we only take jobs with each other now," he said again, very sure and secure in his suggestion and hoped that Eames agreed._ _

__Eames' mouth fell open in surprise. "Really?"_ _

__"Yes," Arthur said, crossing his arms over his chest._ _

__He was worried for half a second before a huge grin formed across Eames' face._ _

__"I'm happy I wasn't the one who had to bring it up. Even though nothing went gravely wrong, that job was shit without you."_ _

__Words escaped Arthur then, and he did the one thing he could in that moment. He took a large step towards his husband, grabbed his soapy face and kissed him breathless. Eames was half out of the shower before catching a chill and regretfully pulling away. He continued to grin as he said, "Gimme a sec," and then shut the door in Arthur's face._ _

__Arthur laughed and waited for the forger to finish bathing. It didn't take long before the door opened again, and Eames stepped out and reached for his towel._ _

__"Should I even bother with clothes?" he asked as he dried off, raising a suggestive eyebrow at Arthur._ _

__"There's food," Arthur said and then playfully pushed Eames out of the bathroom ahead of him._ _

__"Wait," he said, catching sight of a familiar figure on Eames' back. "What's this?"_ _

__"Oh," Eames said, looking over his shoulder. "Um. Surprise."_ _

__Arthur could only stare in awe for a long while as he ran his fingers over the markings he left on Eames' skin._ _

__"You...had my drawing tattooed on you?"_ _

__"Yah," Eames shrugged as though it wasn't a big deal._ _

__"It's kind of crappy, Eames," Arthur said, inspecting the dark lines that formed a not quite symmetrical, geometric heart on the left of Eames' back with their initials in his slanted script beside it, and still not understanding why he'd drawn it in the first place. "I was just messing around."_ _

__"I loved it," Eames promised and turned around to face him._ _

__Arthur believed him. "If you keep this up, getting inked on every job you go on, you won't have any blank space left on your body."_ _

__Eames chuckled at that. "Not all of them. Just the memorable ones."_ _

__Arthur smiled, noting the rows of realistic, snowcapped mountains on the front of his partner's arm that had been added after Inception. Their placement mirrored the London skyline that was on the other arm. The pointman was still a little disappointed that he hadn't gotten to see Eames' dream level during that defining job._ _

__"I still can't believe you did this."_ _

__"Seriously?" Eames said doubtfully, gently grabbing his face. "We're married for crying out loud. Consider it my wedding ring."_ _

__They had agreed not to do rings. Arthur hadn't even proposed with one. It wasn't like they could wear them in their business anyway without giving themselves up. Arthur nodded, understanding his husband and completely loving him, but then had a sinking feeling rush over him._ _

__"I am not getting a tattoo, Eames."_ _

__Eames laughed full out then and tugged Arthur into his still damp arms._ _

__"There's my grumpy Arthur I missed so unbelievably much."_ _

**Author's Note:**

> The song that Ariadne plays is "All By Myself" by Eric Carmen.
> 
> Just fyi, I go by the same username on Tumblr, thinkingaboutelephants. And as a quick shout-out to my beta, my best friend, Randi! She's also on Tumblr, droppedwithoutgravity. Check us out if you want! :-)


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